Master of Arts/Master of Science/Master of Health Administration/Master of Public Administration

Program Description

The master of arts (M.A.), master of science (M.S.), master of health administration (M.H.A.), and master of public administration (M.P.A.) programs begin with the conviction that many professional people require educational programs with built-in flexibility to meet individual needs. These individuals seek a graduate program that will enable them to attain competence in a specific area and provide them with an opportunity to incorporate into their educational experiences an exposure to other areas.

General Requirements

The M.A./M.S./M.H.A./M.P.A. degree-seeking student should consult the Admission, Enrollment, and Academic Policies sections under Academic Policies and Procedures for policies regarding application, admission, registration, and the academic policies of Webster University.

The student selects a major and completes the required courses as outlined in this catalog. The requisite course may be waived if the student can document academic proficiency in the subject area. All required courses must be completed before the student enrolls in the integrated studies course. Exceptions to this sequence of enrollment may be requested on the Program Option Request form.

The remaining credit hours of the student's degree program are selected from elective courses in the declared major or from other majors that are relevant to the student's declared major. Computer science/distributed systems, counseling, environmental management, health care management, and health administration courses may not be available as electives if the student does not have sufficient background in these areas.

Students should enroll in the 5000 course if they select an elective course from a major in which they have had no prior academic experience. A maximum of three 5000 courses outside the student's declared major(s) may be applied as elective credit in the student's graduate degree program.

In addition to the required core courses and the elective courses, the following options may be components of the student's degree program: M.A. professional seminars, internship, thesis or project, and credit transferred into the degree program. The student is limited to 3 credit hours of professional seminars.

Majors

• Art
• Advertising and Marketing Communications
• Business
• Business and Organizational Security Management
• Communications Management
• Computer Science/Distributed Systems (M.S.)
• Counseling
• Environmental Management (M.S.)
• Finance (M.S.)
• Gerontology
• Health Administration (M.H.A.)
• Health Care Management
• Human Resources Development
• Human Resources Management
• Information Technology Management
• International Business
• International Relations
• Legal Analysis
• Legal Studies
• Management and Leadership
• Marketing
• Media Communications
• Media Literacy
• Music
• Nurse Anesthesia (M.S.)
• Nursing (M.S.N.)
• Patent Agency
• Procurement and Acquisitions Management
• Public Administration
• Public Relations
• Space Systems Operations Management (M.S.)

These majors are not offered at every Webster University location. The majors offered at each location at the time of printing are listed in the Locations-US section of this catalog.

Requisite Course

Each major has a requisite course that is mandatory if the student has no academic experience in the area. The requisite course must be completed prior to registration for a core course in the declared major. The student who selects an elective course in another major should enroll in the requisite course if he or she does not have an academic background in that area.

If the student can demonstrate academic proficiency in a major, a request for a waiver of the requisite course may be made by submitting a Program Option Request form and documentation to the local director. A student who is granted a waiver of the requisite course in the declared major may not enroll in that course for elective credit after the initial term. A waiver does not change the credit hours required for completion of the M.A. or M.S. degree.

Integrated Studies Course

Each major has a culminating 6000 integrated studies course or 6200 capstone course. A thesis or project may meet requirements for the 6000 integrated studies course. This substitution is requested on the Program Option Request form. Core courses in the declared major must be completed prior to the student's enrollment in one of these program options. Under the thesis or project option, 3 credit hours will meet requirements for the integrated studies course and 3 credit hours will be considered elective credit. Integrated studies courses (capstone courses) may not be taken as electives. A student may not count more than one integrated studies course toward a single graduate degree.

Degree Completion

The M.A./M.S./M.H.A./M.P.A. degrees require advancement to candidacy and satisfactory completion of 36 credit hours of graduate degree curriculum, with the exception of legal studies and space systems operations management, which require 39 credit hours each; and counseling, which requires 48 or 60 credit hours.

Dual Majors

A student may select dual majors from related majors. Dual majors require completion of the requirements in both majors. If the requisite course is waived in either or both majors, a course substitution for the requisite course is not required. The student may receive the degree in the dual majors on completion of the course requirements for the remaining courses. International Relations is excluded as a dual major except in Geneva in combination with the human resources development degree. The Counseling M.A. degree, the M.S. degree areas, the M.H.A. and M.P.A. degree areas are not eligible for the dual major option.

The following policies apply to dual majors:

1. Dual majors may require more than 36 credit hours for completion of the degree if requisite courses are not waived.*
2. The dual majors must be declared before the student has completed 6 credit hours of coursework.
3. A student who has declared dual majors may transfer into the degree program only courses that are equivalent to required courses.
4. A student who earns two grades of C in a major will not meet dual major requirements in that major, unless one of the C grades is repeated with a grade of B- or better.

* The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs requires special approval for students utilizing veterans' educational benefits to enroll in more than 36 credit hours. Students should request approval on the Program Option Request form.

Individualized Degree Program

Students at the St. Louis home campus may choose to work with administrators and faculty to design an individualized M.A. program in a major independent of the established majors. The University does not guarantee resources for individualized degree programs. Inquiries about this option should be directed to the Coordinator of Experiential Learning.

Sequential Master's Degree

A student who has earned an M.A., M.B.A., M.S., or M.H.A. from Webster University or another regionally accredited college or university (or its international equivalent) may earn a sequential M.A., M.S., M.H.A., or M.P.A. in another major. The sequential master's degree requires completion of all the core courses in the declared major. The student must complete an elective to meet the core-course requirement if the 5000 course is waived.

If a student has completed any required courses as part of a previous Webster University master's degree, approval for substitute coursework must be requested and approved prior to enrollment.

The sequential master's degree programs in gerontology, international business, media communications, and procurement and acquisitions management require completion of 21 credit hours of required coursework.

The sequential master's degree programs in business and organizational security management, health care management, human resources development, international nongovernmental organizations, management and leadership, and marketing require completion of 24 credit hours of required coursework.

The sequential master's programs in health administration (M.H.A.), public administration (M.P.A.), information technology management, human resources management, international relations, the M.S. in environmental management, and the M.S. in finance require completion of 27 credit hours of required coursework.

The sequential master's program in legal studies requires completion of 36 credit hours of required coursework.

Art, counseling, and other specialized master's degrees are excluded as sequential master's degree options.

The following conditions apply to the sequential master's degree:

1. A Webster University graduate with an M.A., M.B.A., M.S., M.H.A., or an M.P.A. may earn the sequential master's by completing the required core courses (minimum 21 credit hours) detailed in the declared major curriculum.
2. The student who holds a master's or doctoral degree from another regionally accredited college or university may earn the sequential M.A. by completing the required core courses (minimum 21 credit hours) detailed in the declared major curriculum.
3. M.B.A. prerequisite courses, or other prerequisite requirements, may not be used to reduce sequential degree requirements.
4. No transfer of credit may be applied toward this minimum residency.

Advancement to Candidacy

Sequential master's degree-seeking students who received their prior graduate degree from Webster University are advanced to degree candidacy with the initial registration. Students who received their prior master's degree from another institution are advanced to candidacy on approval of the official master's degree transcript.

Probation/Dismissal for Sequential Master's Degree

1. A student who receives one grade of C is placed on probation.
2. A student who receives one grade of F or two grades of C is dismissed from the degree program.